Tibet officials finish US tour

Deputies tell Americans not to back Dalai clique

A National People’s Congress delegation of legislators from the Tibet Autonomous Region of China completed a six-day trip to the US on Monday with the goal of reiterating China’s sovereignty over Tibet and urging Washington “not to support the Dalai Lama clique,” a Chinese expert said on Tuesday.

Led by Baima Wangdui, deputy of the People’s Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the delegation met US Senator Dan Sullivan, Congressmen Darin LaHood, Rick Larsen, Jim McGovern and US Department of State officials in Washington DC, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

During the meetings, Baima Wangdui emphasized the importance of a good China-US relationship, but also reiterated that the Tibet question is about China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is a core interest of China, the Beijing-based agency reported.

He urged the US to recognize the anti-China nature of the Dalai clique and not to contact or support them. The US side reaffirmed it recognized Tibet as a part of China and would not support “Tibetan independence,” Xinhua said.

“Although the US said they recognize Tibet as part of China and would not support ‘Tibetan independence,’ they have been meeting the Dalai Lama and in the past have funded the Tibetan ‘government-in-exile,’” Qin Yongzhang, an ethnologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Tuesday.

“Only time can tell if the delegation’s latest visit will change the double-faced actions of the US, but it was important to reiterate China’s position,” Qin said.

The US recently approved “a new batch of funding to support the Dalai Lama, even more than the sum back in the Obama days,” Zhu Weiqun, former chairman of the ethnic and religious committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times on Tuesday. “I don’t see any difference in terms of supporting the Dalai clique by the Trump administration compared to previous US governments.”

The reason behind US doubledealing was its attempt to prevent China from being united and becoming strong, Zhu noted. The US still sees China as a threat, not a partner, he asserted.

The delegation introduced Tibet’s remarkable progress since its peaceful liberation over 60 years ago, not only in the meetings with US officials in Washington but also with local overseas Chinese and Tibetan representatives in San Francisco, according to Xinhua.

“In the US, many people don’t realize the Dalai Lama’s nature as a separatist,” Zhu said. “This visit will play an important role in letting US politicians and people know the truth.”

It was in the best interests of the US to give up on the Dalai clique and build a better relationship with China, Zhu said.